According to the article, the pastor, Stan Mitchell, likened the change to an "epiphany" from the Lord and seemed pretty proud of himself for having caught the divine wind of change. Indeed, he has addressed this as a prophetic issue and a civil rights issue on the same level as the great cause led by Martin Luther King and the lightening rod events of Selma. The video is here. . .

One blogger put it this way: The move that Mitchell is making is not a heroic one. It is a cowardly
one. It doesn’t cause true believers any trepidation. It deserves no
applause. It merits no commendation. This is a moment of shame for this
pastor, not a moment of acclaim.

I believe she is absolutely correct. This is not some heroic or prophetic stand. It is cowardly and merely conforms to the prevailing mood of change with regard to sexuality and marriage that has overtaken all sense and sensibility in our land.

Her pointed conclusion is worth sharing: If you fear man, God will become small to you. The approval of fellow
sinners will matter more to you than obeying God by the witness of his
Word.

When we fear more the approval of others than to be commended before God by faithfulness, God is small and we are large. It is the root of sin --- the desire to be larger than life and to bring God down to size. Many have presumed that God is someone you can sit down and discuss things with and negotiate truth. Jesus insists that this is the ultimate dead end. "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me..." When we exchange such fidelity with our own elevated opinions and selves, there can be only one conclusions -- we no longer seek to know the Father or come to Him and Jesus has ceased to be Savior and Redeemer and is merely a voice of inspiration (one among many).

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Our Means of Grace Window

The Window

This is the Means of Grace Window that is above the altar of Grace Lutheran Church where I serve. It reminds us of the keys (confession and absolution), the wheat(the bread which is the Body of Christ), the cup (which is His Blood), the Word (Scripture), and the Pastoral Office (the red stole). In this one wonderful window we see the treasures of the Church in the Word and Sacraments and I love that it is available for all to see. I realize that this image has been stolen all over the internet but it is a real window, a copyrighted image, belonging to Grace Lutheran Church, Clarksville, Tennessee, which has kindly allowed my use of it...

About Me

I have been a Lutheran Pastor for more than 37 years, serving in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and the Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Clarksville, TN, in my 25th year here. I have a lot of thoughts (obviously not all of equal weight or importance) and this place is where you meet some of those meandering thoughts from this pastoral mind.

Why begin a blog?

I spend a few minutes a few times a week checking out several different blogs. Some are on-line forums and others are the musings of friends, who, like me, are Lutheran Pastors. Since so many spend so much time in front of their computer, I am sharing a few thoughts in this medium. So join the conversation and see what pops up.